CHAPTER XXV
IN WHICH A MAN PLOTS
When the storm broke Warden had shown by his actions that he was moreconcerned over Link and Givens than over Della Wharton. He had toldSingleton to ride the trail to Willets, to search for the girl, whilehimself and several of the Two Diamond men started for the line cabin.Singleton had left the Two Diamond in the early evening, while Wardenhad delayed his departure until after midnight.
Singleton had made good time, and he reached Willets long beforemidnight. He made some inquiries, discovering that Della Wharton had notbeen seen; and shortly after midnight he was in the low, squatty stablein the rear of the Wolf Saloon, saddling his horse for the return tripto the Two Diamond. He was convinced that Della had not come to Willets.
He was about to lead the horse outside when he saw two horsemen ridingthrough the drifts in the rear of a building near the Willets Hotel. Thelight was not good, but Singleton would have recognized Red King in anylight, and he laughed exultantly as he saw the rider dismount.
Singleton abruptly closed the stable door and darted into the shadow ofthe stable. Then he crouched, ran low behind a big drift, and gained theside of a building next to the Willets Hotel. He was close to the tworiders, and he grinned maliciously when he saw that one of them was awoman.
He heard Lawler knock on the rear door of the hotel; and he crouched inthe shadow of the building until Lawler and the woman entered. But justbefore the two entered, Singleton caught sight of the woman's face asshe turned toward him for an instant and the dull light shone upon her.
He watched until Lawler came out again and rode away; and from behindanother building on the other side of the street he saw Lawler goingdirectly south, which direction would take him to Number One Circle Lline camp.
Then Singleton mounted his horse and followed the trail taken by Lawler.By the time Singleton struck Lawler's trail, Lawler was out of sightbeyond a low ridge, and Singleton leisurely examined the tracks in thesnow.
He discovered that two sets of tracks led in the direction Lawler wastaking. He followed them for several miles, until there seemed to be nodoubt that Della had been with Lawler at the line camp; then he grinnedand wheeled his horse toward the Two Diamond.
* * * * *
Gary Warden was also following the two sets of tracks that lednorthward. He had come upon them accidentally, while riding with one ofhis men slightly in advance of the others as they went toward Willets,where Warden intended to take the bodies of Link and Givens. He had saidnothing to his companion regarding the tracks, though he noted theother saw them also, and was studying them, puzzled.
"Them tracks ain't more'n half a dozen hours old," the man said once,tentatively. But receiving no answer from Warden he said no more.
In places there were three sets of tracks--two going northward, and oneleading back. Warden, his eyes glowing malevolently, followed them untilthey took him into Willets. An hour later, his face flushed withpassion, he was in a little office with Sheriff Moreton, demandingLawler's arrest on a charge of murder.
Moreton, a slender man of medium height with a lean, strong face andkeen, penetrating eyes, had listened patiently to Warden's story.
"Lawler told you he killed 'em, eh? Well then, I reckon he musthave--Lawler ain't in the habit of lyin'. You got any witness thatLawler killed 'em, malicious? You've just got done hintin' that Lawlersaid he shot 'em in self-defense. But you say he didn't. One man's wordis as good as another's in law, Mr. Warden--you got to remember that!"
"Then you won't do anything?" snapped Warden.
"I reckon I'll do somethin'," said the sheriff, drawlingly. "I'll haveto see Lawler an' get his side of it. An' if you charge Lawler withmurder, I'll have to bring him in. But I'm warnin' you that if you ain'tgot any witnesses to prove your charge, you ain't got no show ofconvictin' him. An' Lawler's standin' is pretty high in this country,Warden--an' don't you forget it!"
Warden smiled derisively. "Well, he seems to have a friend in you,anyway. I'll investigate a little before I file formal charges."
"It's a good idee--I'd do a lot of it," advised the sheriff. "An' then,when I'd done a lot of it, I'd do some more--just to be sure I wasn'tbitin' off more than I could chew!"
Warden left the sheriff's office, after turning the bodies of Link andGivens over to the official. He sent his men to the Two Diamond, andspent some time at a window in the rear of the Wolf Saloon, examininghoof prints on the snow in the vicinity of the Willets Hotel, a shortdistance from the Wolf. He was in a vicious mood.
He noted that the three sets of tracks he had followed led to the rearof the hotel. They were clear and distinct, for no other tracks werenear them. His men and himself had evidently been the first to reachtown after the storm had abated--excepting the riders whose tracks hehad followed.
He was still at the window when he heard a step behind him, and sawSingleton approaching.
Singleton's eyes were gleaming with knowledge. He was breathing fast.
"I met the boys, headin' for the Two Diamond," he said. "They tell meLawler downed Link an' Givens--an' that Lawler caught 'em cuttin' thefence. An' Colter says he was ridin' with you an' that you was followin'them tracks that led to town from that Circle L line cabin. Well, thatwas a hot trail, Warden. She's there--in the hotel!"
"Who?" demanded Warden, his face paling, though he was convinced thatwhat Singleton would tell him would merely confirm his suspicions.
"Della Wharton!" declared Singleton. He related what he had seen thenight before from the stable in the rear of the Wolf; and he stood tenseand stiff behind Warden as the latter glared out of the window, his lipsin a bestial pout.
Warden spoke at last, his voice dry and light and vibrant with coldfury.
"No women, Singleton; he told me he'd kill me if I dragged any of hiswomen into this deal. And now----"
"An' now he's drugged in the woman you've took a shine to," sympathizedSingleton. He scratched his head in puzzlement. "Hell's fire!" he added;"I didn't think that of Lawler. I ain't never admired the cuss none--adamned sight less since he walloped me--but I didn't think he'd draganother man's woman into a cabin like that, an'----"
"Bah! Shut up!" commanded Warden, glaring malignantly at the other.
"Sure; I reckon you don't like to think of it," said Singleton. "Itwould rile me some, too."
Aware that this was a matter which would not permit of even suggestionon his part, Singleton soon found an excuse to take leave of Warden. Andfor an hour after Singleton's departure, Warden stood at the windowfighting for his composure. Then, when he had succeeded, he walked outof the front door of the saloon and made his way down the street to theWillets Hotel. He told Keller, the proprietor, about Miss Wharton'sdisappearance, and he succeeded in simulating an excellent counterfeitof astonishment when Keller informed him that Miss Wharton was at thatmoment up stairs in her room--that she had been at the hotel since thestorm broke. He pretended not to see the flush on Keller's face as hetold the lie; and his greeting to Della was distinguished by calmcasualness.
Later, when Warden told her that the Two Diamond had been lonely withouther, and that the trail was in condition for travel, she readily agreedto accompany him. And, shortly after noon they rode out of towntogether, Warden apparently in the best of humor over finding her safe;Della elated over the success of the deception.
It was late when they reached the Two Diamond. Several of the mencheered delightedly when they rode into the ranch yard; and Aunt Hannahwas tearfully grateful.
However, twice during the evening meal, as they sat opposite each other,Della noted a look of sullen preoccupation in Warden's eyes. And then,studying him covertly while she ate, she observed that he was paler thanusual; that his lips were straight and stiff, even when he smiled; thathe seemed to have little appetite and was restless and jerky.
Warden was suspicious--that was evident. She had thought, when he hadentered her room at the hotel, that his manner was strange and notnearly so h
earty as it should have been over finding her. He had beentoo matter-of-fact and undemonstrative.
She never had loved Warden; she had not even respected him. She hadplumbed his nature and had found him narrow, selfish--even brutal. Butshe had permitted him to make love to her occasionally--mildly, for whatdoubtful amusement she got out of it, and she had responded merely forthe thrill it gave her to have a man pursue her.
When, after supper, Warden called her into his office and closed thedoor behind her, she had steeled herself for any attack he might make.She was calm, and unmoved by what she saw in Warden's face.
A lamp glowed on Warden's desk, and he motioned her to a chair thatstood beside it, so that when she seated herself the glare of the lampwas on her face.
While she sat there, a little malice in her heart for Warden--because hehad dared to suspect her--he moved toward her and without saying a wordlaid before her the handkerchief he had found.
She took it up deliberately, looked at it, and as deliberately stuck itinto her belt.
"It's mine, Gary," she said.
"I found it in a bunk at a Circle L line camp, occupied during the stormby Kane Lawler. I thought perhaps you would like to explain how it gotthere."
"I left it there, Gary--I forgot it."
"You admit you were there?"
"Certainly. Why should I deny it? Do you want to know why I went there,Gary?"
"I'd like to know, of course," said Warden. He was standing, tense, hiseyes glowing with passion that he was trying to control; his faceashen.
"I started for the Circle L. I wanted to see Lawler. You didn't knowthat I had met him one day at the foot of the stairs leading from youroffice, in town. Well, I did, Gary; and I fell in love with him."
She heard Warden's gasp; saw his eyes glow into hers with a jealous furythat seemed to threaten to drive him to violence.
"Bah; don't be silly, Gary," she admonished coldly. "You know I neverhave cared for you in the way you wanted. I shall have to respect theman I marry, and I never could respect you, Gary. You are too--too muchas you are now. You'd like to punish me, physically; you'd like to hurtme, in some way--if you could. You'll never be a lover to any woman,Gary--you are too insincere. You never have loved me; you have merelybeen flattered over having me near you. And it is only your vanity thatis hurt, now."
Warden laughed unpleasantly; though she knew from the expression of hiseyes that he knew she had spoken truthfully.
"Well--go on," he said, shortly.
"That is all, Gary," she laughed. "Except that I got lost and went tothe cabin instead of the house. Lawler was there; we were boththere--for ten days. And then, because I didn't want my reputation tosuffer, I had Lawler take me to the hotel at night, to make it appearthat I had been there all the time. Interesting, isn't it?"
"Very," said Warden. "I think I understand. But why didn't Lawler marryyou to save your reputation--if you loved him so much?"
Her smile was shallow and hard.
"I expect Lawler thought my reputation didn't need saving--or wasn'tworth it. For he refused me, point blank."
"Gallant--eh?" mocked Warden.
She laughed. "Well, I don't know that I blame him. I have thought,since, that I went at it very crudely. I should have played the innocentinstead of doing what I did. He's wary as a serpent, Gary, and wise."
"Do you still love him?"
Her eyes flashed spitefully. "I hate him, now! I think I was merelyinfatuated. I thought it was love, but I can see now that it wasn't. Idon't think I ever really have loved a man, Gary."
Warden laughed. He knew she had told him the truth--he could see truthin her eyes.
"He killed Link and Givens," said Warden. "Did you see it?" At her nodhe went on: "Just how did it happen?"
She told him, and he evinced disappointment. Then, during a silence, hewatched her keenly, a gleam of craft in his eyes.
"How much do you hate him, Della?"
Her eyes narrowed and she regarded him steadily, noting the subtle glowin his eyes. She smiled, with sinister understanding.
"You want me to swear that he killed those two men wantonly, Gary--isthat it?" She laughed mirthlessly; "I would do it if--if I didn't haveto risk my precious reputation."
"You won't risk your reputation," exulted Warden. "I'll fix that. Wedon't want to charge him openly with the murder--and he can't beconvicted without evidence. What we want to do is to hold a threat ofexposure over him--to fix him so that he won't ever be able to run foran office in this state--as he intends to. For they are grooming him,right now. And the governor is back of the scheme to break him--you knowthat. If you'll sign a statement to the effect that you were a witnessof the murder, and that Lawler was the aggressor, I'll hold it over him,and we'll make him get down off his hind legs and be good. When I showhim the statement you can be sure he will never want to stand trial. Andwe won't force him. We'll let the court at Willets examine him; andthey'll have to let him off."
"It would be satisfying--wouldn't it, Gary?" she said, after a time.
"You're a brick, Della!" he laughed.
She got up and stood beside him as he wrote. And Warden did not see thedesigning light in her eyes as she watched him. And her smile, as shesigned her name to what he had written, was inscrutable--containing muchknowledge of Warden's motives, and concealing still more of her own.
In her room, while undressing, she laughed.